Fencing Finishes 3-1 At Tar Heel Invitational

Sunday, February 12

Chapel Hill

9:00 a.m.

North Carolina

Tar Heel Invitational

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

February 12, 2023 | Fencing

Photo Gallery

By: Freddy Stanley

CHAPEL HILL - The North Carolina fencing team hosted Long Island University and the Air Force Academy at the Tar Heel Invitational on Sunday, their first regular season home meet in the last ten years.

The Tar Heels met LIU in the first round and took home a pair of dominant wins. The men took down LIU 21-6, highlighted by a 9-0 shutout by men's foil. The women excelled as well, winning their round one bout 19-8.

In the second round, the Tar Heels squared off against the Air Force Academy. This was the second time that the men have faced Air Force this season. Back at the Western Invitational in Colorado Springs in November, the Tar Heels fell to Air Force 14-13, with the match being decided in the final bout. In Chapel Hill, the story was much the same. After a match that was contested throughout, Air Force was able to find a narrow advantage in epee, pulling away and winning the match 15-12.

The women continued their winning ways in round two, defeating Air Force 19-8. The women finished the day with an undefeated 2-0 record and an overall score of 38-16.

"Overall I was extremely proud of the performance that we put in today. We had some great results overall. The women coming out undefeated on the day speaks to their ability to seize the moment and take advantage of it," said Head Coach Matt Jednak.

In the final round, LIU faced Air Force. Air Force was victorious in both men's and women's matches, winning 22-5 and 17-10 respectively.

The men's team used a deep roster, having 21 different fencers compete in bouts in just two rounds. Jake McGillion-Moore, Noah Shepanek, Dylan Divito, and Nicky Baumstein lead the men's team in wins, all with a record of 3-0.

Sophia Kovacs led all Tar Heels in wins with a record of 6-0. Abby Parker and Sophia Molho were also undefeated on the day, with records of 3-0.

The Tar Heel Invitational was the last regular season meet of the season and served as senior day for the fencing program. Nine different graduating athletes were honored, including graduate students, seniors, and juniors graduating early. Sarah Followill, Sophia Mandour, Abby Parker, Xavier Hilbert, Henry Shugart, Connor Head, Will Palazollo, Luca Rampazzo, and Cam Santos were all honored during a ceremony before the meet.

Members of the North Carolina fencing team will compete at the Junior Olympics next weekend in Denver, before traveling to Boston College for the ACC Championships on Feb. 25/26th.

Results:
𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬
UNC vs LIU
Sabre: 7-2 UNC
Foil: 9-0 UNC
Epee: 5-4 UNC
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹: 21-6 UNC

𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬
#14 UNC vs LIU
Sabre: 7-2 UNC
Foil: 5-4 UNC
Epee: 7-2 UNC
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹: 19-8 UNC

𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀
UNC vs Air Force
Sabre: 6-3 UNC
Foil: 5-4 Air Force
Epee: 7-2 Air Force
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹: 15-12 Air Force

𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬
#14 UNC vs Air Force
Sabre: 7-2 UNC
Foil: 6-3 UNC
Epee: 6-3 UNC
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥: 19-8 UNC